Pointed to Piracy
by forget-tomorrow
Summary: PostDMC. Elizabeth reflects on her past actions...


**Title:** Pointed to Piracy

**Rating: **PG

**Warnings:** Spoilers from _Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest_

**Summary: ** Directly following DMC, Elizabeth reflects on past actions…

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

The rain splashed heavily against the windows. The wind howled and clawed at the building. The lightning easily lit the sky and the dark room. The thunder clapped with the supremacy to shake the ground. How perfectly the bitter weather fit Elizabeth Swann's bitter mood.

She sat in her small cot in her small room in the small inn. Everything felt small. Everything felt tight. She felt like an intruder and intruders do not belong.

How she longed for the days when grand adventures were mere dreams, when pirates existed only in her precious books, when what was good and what was wrong was painted in black and white, when her life was planned to the second. But everything changes. The life she used to want is now her enemy. How she wished she could step back over the boundary.

She could hardly see straight. Everything was gray. Nothing was clear. The familiar pain of tears welling up in her eyes killed her. She had done this to herself. Curiosity had gotten the better of her…

It all began with that wretched compass. When she was on the ship, it pointed at Jack. Why Jack? She did not love Jack. She was betrothed to Will. She wanted Will, needed Will. He was what she wanted most in the world. That was what the compass was used for after all. And yet…

Captain Jack Sparrow was a mystery to her. She was fascinated by his life. She, the daughter's governor, had lived a life under large hats, carriage roofs, and umbrellas. But Jack was completely different. He stood free for the wind, the sea, and the sun to take him. He was unpredictable. He was adventurous. He was everything she had dreamed of being when she was young girl.

Their flirtation was her chance to do something different. It was wrong, of this she knew. She was engaged to Will, yet she could not stop herself from moving towards the pirate. His kiss was untamed and wild. Will's were engaging and sweet. Jack's was fiery and unyielding. Will's were romantically passionate and gentle, full of his undying love. And Jack's held nothing despite their fervor. While it was certainly a good kiss, it was not like Will's. The kiss just resulted in a moment's quick thinking and curiosity. She was thinking of nothing else. Nothing of Will. Nothing of betrayal.

But as quickly as the quick thinking had come, it was gone. Jack was vulnerable and weak as he always was around Elizabeth. However, she was not weak. She was strong and ready to fight. Death was not something she was ready for.

Before she really realized what she was doing, she had him chained to the mast and pulled away. She looked deep into his eyes and could see the vulnerability. She could see the passion. She could finally see the real Jack Sparrow that was hidden from the world. And so she found she was right. Jack truly was a good man at heart. For whatever reason he had come back, may it have been for the_ Black Pearl_ or for her and the crew, it did not really matter because he had finally done the right thing instead of waving it off. But in the end, it did not matter at all because Elizabeth had turned against him. Elizabeth had become him. She thought of saving herself and of saving Will. She truly _was_ a pirate, just as Jack had said.

But as she thought back on how he said it, it was not with the distain and insolence she had first thought it to be. It was said with pride. It was meant as a compliment. Unfortunately, Elizabeth found that that life was not something she wanted anymore. That life, the road pf piracy, had lead her to condemning a friend…condemning a friend who had finally become the person she knew he could be.

While she had told Jack she was not sorry, she was. She was sorry for everything she had done, but then again, in a way she was not. By sacrificing Jack, she had saved their lives. However, she gave up another. She was no better than Jack who had offered Davy Jones's one hundred souls in exchange for his own. The life of a pirate was a complicated one indeed. It was amazing that Jack was able to do the right thing at all. While it may have been the right thing, piracy is not about doing the right thing. Piracy is about yourself and what you can do to help yourself along. Elizabeth had done just that.

And so that was that. With a last look at Captain Jack Sparrow, she climbed into the rowboat and watched as the _Black Pearl_ and its fearless captain were taken to the watery depths below.

The storm continued to rain, howl, and clap. The tears continued to fall. The guilt continued to hurt. The name continued to ring in her ears. The compass continued to spin. Time never eased the pain.

As she turned over, something in her jacket poked her side. She sat up and retrieved it, pulling it into the candlelight. Oddly enough, it was Jack's compass. It truly was a peculiar item. How could this point to the one thing that you wanted most in the world? Was it to function like a real compass, the needle magnetized to human affection instead of to the North Pole? Was that possible? But after everything she had witnessed, things she never thought could have been true, maybe it _was_ possible. But was it limited to human affection for another person? How could _that_ be possible? For Jack, it pointed to the Cursed Treasure of Cortez, not a person. But was that where it was pointing to? Jack's desire was not the treasure, it was the _Black Pearl_. And the compass had pointed her to Davy Jones's chest. So, it did not necessarily have to be pointing to a person you loved.

And suddenly it struck her. When she was holding the compass and it was pointing at Jack, it was not because she secretly loved him. It was because she loved what he represented. It pointed to freedom. It pointed to adventure. _It pointed to piracy_. But now that life was estranged to her. Did her heart really want it any longer? She wanted her old life back, the one before the compass. But was that really what she wanted? There was only one way to find out…

She carefully opened the compass. It spun for but a moment before stopping dead in the direction of her door. To leave? Is that what she wanted? She slowly got up from her cot and crossed the room. The needle did not move an inch. She opened the door and saw a door across the hallway. Was what she wanted in there?

She crossed the dark hall and cautiously opened the door a small bit. A smile like no other spread across her lips. She agreed wholeheartedly. This is what she wanted most in the world. She closed the compass and put it in her pocket. There was no time like the present. She opened the door the rest of the way, her smile never wavering.

"Will!"

**So, that's that. As you can see, I am a Will/Elizabeth shipper. I hope I did not disappoint too many of you. Anyway, please leave me a review! Flames will be used to light a bonfire for roasting marshmallows!**

**I'm sure that some of this seems a little muddled up and confusing. It was meant to be written as if we were looking into Elizabeth's thoughts. As we all know, our thoughts can kind of jump around a bit. Well, I hope you liked it! **


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